Celestial Beings Origins Book One: Tieria Erde
by Aethra Caelis
Summary: A personal take on how the members of Celestial Being came to be. I present to you, Book One: Tieria Erde. SPOILER ALERT up for those who have not seen Season One's Episode 17 and beyond. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1: Specimen 001Y

**Celestial Beings – Origins  
****Book One : Tieria Erde**

_**A Mobile Suit Gundam 00 fanfiction by: Cielo, 2008**_

Author's Notes : The last time I wrote – and actually _published_ – fanfiction was back in 2002. Since then, I have grown, I have had garnered experiences, but lost the drive to write. Work practically bogged me down as fandoms flourished without me. Now, I come back – I have definitely missed writing fanfiction. Constructive feedback is MOST welcome.

Disclaimer : _Mobile Suit Gundam 00/Kidou Senshi Gundam 00_ characters, names and related indicia © Sunrise, Bandai; fiction and its contents © Cielo Maaliw, 2008.

* * *

Celestial Beings – Origins_is a personal take on the past of some of the members of Celestial Being, an attempt at an illustration on how our beloved Meisters and their support crew act the way they do, do the things they do, and feel they way the do._

_Chapter one of Book One lays out the ground for Tieria Erde's "origins". More notes at the end of the chapter.  
_

**CHAPTER 1  
**"**Specimen 001-Y"**

_Celestial Being Orbital Laboratory, Jupiter_

"Jameson, status update." A statuesque woman stood inside a control center, surrounded by control boards with levers, buttons, blinking lights and screens. Her unruly plum locks were held back by a skillfully twisted pencil, betraying a few stray white locks by her nape and temples. Eyes the color of vibrant burgundy beheld expertise, experience and a no-nonsense aura. Arms crossed over her chest, white lab coat draped over her an ensemble in the shade of pink old-rose, her stern features scanned her 3-man team of lab technicians, finally focusing on the multi-coated, one-way tinted glass spanning her field of view.

"Heart rate, normal. Blood pressure, normal. Nerve responses --" Jameson was cut by a sharp tap on his shoulder. Looking up, his plum-haired boss squinted her eyes, "Is he awake?"

After punching tapping a few commands on the touchscreen at his fingertips, he replies, "Currently undergoing Stage Four brain activity, _madame_."

"Dreaming, is he?" She let a small smile creep up her lips, "I'll go pay him a visit." She turned her brown Salvatorre Ferragamos towards a small compartment within the control room.

Shutting the door, she shrugged off her lab coat, a nameplate gleaming, "V. Thierry". She changed into a "sanitary suit", as the lab workers called it, a white cumbersome suit covering her from head to toe, clear plastic window allowing for a view of the outside. Its technology allowed for one to maintain constant body temperature, recycle it's carbon dioxide to turn into breathable oxygen, while the suit adopted to the room temperature, thus leaving everything surrounding it undisturbed.

To access the room at the other side of the glass, one had to pass through a different door. She punched in a confidential alphanumeric password -- one mistake, and consequences are such that they were unspoken of -- giving her access to a pristine white chamber. Upon stepping in, and locking the door behind her, a programmed voice prompt activated, "Voice identity verification."

"Véronique Thierry." Véronique was almost certain she was given such a task and position because of her French lineage -- the French language containing such unique vowels and syllabifications that the Voice Recognition System could not be fooled, "Voice identity verified: Véronique Thierry," she smirked -- even the voice prompt couldn't get her name right and sounded like, 'Vey-rro-nik Tee-ye-ree', "Voice identity confirmed. Biometric verification, start."

The French woman held up her hands as if in surrender. Blue lasers slowly came down from the ceiling. These can scan through the white "sanitary suit" and clothes to verify her DNA, hand prints, and iris pattern. Another torture she had to go through was to keep her weight and physique in check -- dramatic deviations of Body Mass Index and muscle-fat ratio would trigger more undesirable and unspeakable consequences. "Biometric verification, end. Sanitizing, start."

This time, green lasers came down with the aim to "sanitize" the suit, killing all possible bacteria attached to it. These do not reach the wearer inside it however, as the suit's function is to contain a human's natural -- and highly essential -- "bacteria" in check. "Sanitizing, end. You may now proceed."

The sliding door in front of her lifted. Véronique sighed: she was willing to go through such complexities on a daily basis only because she loves what she is doing. About 3 meters separated her from her target object. A few steps in, she could be seen by her assistants through the glass -- stark white against the dark interior. The room was otherwise illuminated by a single source: a coffin-like capsule, made entirely out of bullet-proof glass, held up by a black chrome block. Inside, slumbering in pink liquid, designed to resemble the amniotic fluid found in a mother's womb, is Specimen 001-Y.

She placed her hand on the capsule, and spoke in a delayed audio transmission to her assistants, "I've been working on this project for the past twenty years, and it still amazes me how 001-Y resembles me." Indeed, upon first glance, 001-Y's face, unobscured by any mask, did resemble Dr. Thierry's stern features, as she did twenty years back. She could make out through the liquid that his closed eyelids showed signs of Rapid Eye Movement, "I wonder what he's dreaming about..."

It was almost vanity on the older woman's part, as she looks at herself twenty years younger. Only difference is that Specimen 001-Y, as the "Y" in its codename indicates, was of the male gender. He did not have any navel, as he did not have any need for one -- he was kept alive by a constant injection of specially formulated fluids directly into his bloodstream, and rejection of these through a tube discreetly attached to his abdominal area, giving way to a complex network in his digestive system. Finely measured electric signals were sent through fine wires to stimulate his nerves and muscles.

Specimen 001-Y had the same shade of hair as Dr. Thierry -- a silky violet, grown down to his waist, gently floating around him as if a gentle breeze constantly stirred it. It is actually safe to assume that he is a direct clone of the woman standing by his capsule, and it would follow that his eyes would have that exact shade of burgundy she possesses. His lips were closed -- not pursed -- giving his face a very relaxed expression.

A few moments later, the black room came alive in a shade of warm red, splashing with random colors, flashes of light. It revealed that the room was practically spherical, save for the floor. Véronique had no way to see the exit, nor the control room window, as this was an activity she cannot afford to disturb. The suit blended into the background -- doors cannot be opened at this delicate time. She kept her position, her breathing regular and measured her words delivered to her assistants :

"Looks like I'll have to stay here for a while longer. My baby's awake." She heard a collective chuckle, then heard Jameson's smiling voice, "I think you disturbed him once again, _madame_."

"Is Raymund there?"

A female voice answered back, "I'm here, Véro. Am I glad someone like you's assigned to that job and not me."

The two ladies shared a small chuckle, "And I'm glad I have a right-hand woman like you to help me, Adele. This might take a while."

"Catch you later, then. _Tchüss_!"

"_À plus tard, ma grande._"

Audio signals cut, and all she could hear was the whir of the chamber she was in. A "womb", her project personnel called it. The naked human eye can only see random lights -- such as a badly arranged Christmas light display -- on a sea of red. But she knows, that this was making sense to the seemingly slumbering young man inside the capsule -- she confirmed as she detected the increased activity through the delicate skin of his closed eyelids and long eyelashes. His eyebrows and lightly pursed lips gave his face an overall expression of deep concentration.

'_Tiens bon_, Véronique,' She took in a deep breath, 'this will take quite a while.'

* * *

**Notes:**

Translations: _Madame –_ As you all may have guessed, Dr. Véronique Thierry is French. She does not like being called "doctor" and would rather be called, "madame"; _Tchüss – _almost like "cheers" in UK English, a casual, "Bye!"; _À plus tard, ma grande – _"See you later!", _ma grande_ being a term of endearment, like "girl", thus, "See you later, girl!" ; _Tiens bon_ – literally, "hold on..."

For those who have seen the series, I am actually referring to the destroyed space station found floating by Jupiter, where the purple Haro owned by the Trinity's was found. GASP! But why is it destroyed? Find out as the fic progresses. ;)

Questions? Suggestions? Any form of constructive feedback is welcome.


	2. Chapter 2: The Womb of Veda

**Celestial Beings – Origins  
****Book One : Tieria Erde**

_**A Mobile Suit Gundam 00 fanfiction by: Cielo, 2008**_

Author's Notes : Update time! (September 10, 2008) D I'd like to take this opportunity to thank those who have dropped by on the first chapter. I understand that it did not have any Tieria (explicitly) in it. Stand by for Chapter 3, "Tieria Erde". If chapter 1 is the background layout of the fic, this chapter narrows things down a bit.

Disclaimer : _Mobile Suit Gundam 00/Kidou Senshi Gundam 00_ characters, names and related indicia © Sunrise, Bandai; fiction and its contents © Cielo Maaliw, 2008.

* * *

Celestial Beings – Origins _is a personal take on the past of some of the members of Celestial Being, an attempt at an illustration on how our beloved Meisters and their support crew act the way they do, do the things they do, and feel they way the do._

_Chapter two elaborates on chapter one, as we look through the personality of Tieria's creator... and her "antithesis."_

**  
CHAPTER 2  
**"**The Womb of Veda"**

_  
Celestial Being Orbital Laboratory, Jupiter  
_"_Project Specimen 001-Y" room, "Womb"_

Véronique entered a meditative state -- a skill she has taught herself since the first time she was caught in such an activity. She closed her eyes -- and through the skin of her eyelids, she made out a few bits of data she could recognize -- very minute they were but she was very familiar with them:

_Celestial Being  
__Veda  
__Ptolemaios  
__Aeolia Schenberg  
__Union  
__Human Reform League  
__A.E.U._

But for some reason, other words kept on popping up -- but for the life of her, she could not understand :

_Exia  
__Gundam  
__Nadleeh  
__Dynames  
__Trans-Am  
__Kyrios  
__Virtue_

'Must be some software...' then up came names :

_Tieria Erde  
__Setsuna F. Seiei  
__Lockon Stratos  
__Allelujah Haptism  
__Sumeragi Lee Noriega_

'Am I ever to meet all of them?'

Véronique did not fall asleep. Her constant thinking swimming around these "names" and "softwares" somewhat made her curious. She was practically born into Celestial Being, her parents -- perhaps even grandparents and who knows how even far back -- being part of the organization, built to bring about world peace. She was educated in such a way as to carry out the will of this "Aeolia Schenberg" person; a plan which will be set into motion once her job is done.

Once she finished her education, she was signed up for this one project -- the trip to Jupiter seemed too good to be true. The technology developed by Celestial Being allowed for the trip to last for only two weeks (as compared to the first attempt to reach Jupiter which counted several years.) She was then introduced to "Veda" : the brainchild of Dr. Schenberg and his colleagues which took almost two centuries in the making. A supercomputer, putting all previous supercomputers into the deepest shame, created -- no -- practically BORN to carry out Schenberg's will. The man may have been dead for two hundred years, but she feels as if he was constantly monitoring her every move, as if her every breath and step she took were preconceived since the dawn of time.

And a genius mind, she is. But there was only so much she knows -- she _can_ know.

The Celestial Being Orbital Laboratory and all the activity within were carefully planned out, the people who moved within were minitiously hand-picked. Nobody knows how this laboratory was built, but what she has been told -- or what she is _allowed_ to know, rather -- is that the laboratory's optimum performance relied on Jupiter's incomparable gravity.

In the last twenty-three "Earth" years of her life in the secret space station, she has yet to see the real Veda. Its location was undisclosed and she figured, her accessing the real deal was not part of Schenberg's plan.

_Meister  
__Seven Swords  
__G.N. Drives  
__Solar furnace_

The words she made out made her recall that she was practically inside a small "branch" of Veda, and her project, "Specimen 001-Y" is supposed to be able to "interact" with this supercomputer -- no need for laptops or hand-helds with a risk of being stolen. The project is supposed to aid in carrying out Aeolia's will -- a personification of Veda _per se_. At least, it was what she understood.

Or what she was _allowed_ to understand.

--

"Good Lord! That took longer than the last time!" Adele sat her colleague down at the staff lounge. Véronique was met with the very welcome aroma of onion cream soup, served in a deep bowl, which she gratefully sipped from. It was immediately followed by a long sip of Cabernet Sauvignon.

"My baby's a grown man. He can take a whole lot more information compared to ten years ago." Véronique cupped the sides of the hot bowl with her hands, setting her face down as the vapor relaxed her tired eyes -- the red glow of the "womb" where her "baby" was slumbering in stressed her eyes out.

"I think you should stop going inside," Adele poured herself her own glass, brushing rebel blond fringes from her face, "And you do know for how long it will take him to absorb and process data the next time around?"

Véronique thoughtfully chewed on her bread, "According to the plan --"

"Forty-eight hours." Adele finished the sentence for her friend, "It can take for as long as forty-eight hours that he can stay in that waking state. Furthermore!" The blond interrupted the plum-haired woman, motioning for her to carry on eating, "Once an outsider is caught inside, he or she cannot move, lest the connection between the Specimen and Veda be disturbed."

Véronique wiped a piece of baguette on her plate, absorbing the Burgundy sauce, and popped it into her mouth. 'You wouldn't understand...' she wanted to say, but she was just too tired to speak -- even too tired to note the _bouquet garni _lovingly made by the laboratory chef, to make the _coq au vin _she so loved suit her taste.

"See it this way," Adele refilled her colleague's glass, "You carry on like this and you screw up your biometrics -- less muscle, less fat, different body structure. If that happens, all your twenty years on your 'baby' would have been for nothing. _Nul_. _Nichts_."

Véronique drained her glass, and waved it in front of Adele, asking her to refill it once more. "_Nein_. Your biometrics, remember?"

"_La ferme, et remplie-moi ça_."

"_Ich verstehe dein betrunkenes Franzöesisch nicht..._"

Adele jokingly raised her eyebrows with a smile as Veronique sighed in defeat. "You have to rest, Véro. I'll take care of the lab."

The older lady got up, "You're right. Thanks Adele."

--

The Orbital Laboratory was in a constant buzz, as chemists, physicists, biologists, doctors and other micro-specialists took their turns, shifting, to make sure the plan worked out well. They were extravagantly compensated, to make up for their lack of daily Earth contact. They were given a leave for Earth once a year -- a total of four months off, including the trip to and from the lab. Talk among colleagues, however, was limited to what they hear, see and feel in the facility.

There was no dead time in the laboratory, so any activity was deemed normal. Passing a large door labeled, "Project Specimen 001-X" Adele accessed one of the wings she was privileged to enter in. If humans were prone to human errors, then machines are just as easily manipulated. It would seem that a part was undisclosed to her colleague -- that the project did not confine to developing one Specimen per gender, but several ones at that. Adele accessed another wing, hardly visited by her colleagues as it was not being used. This contained four more "wombs" -- and she had decided to use another one.

She punched a preset alphanumeric code onto an unlabeled door, 'If security was deemed useless two hundred years ago,' she mused, 'then I say it didn't change much.'

Her high-heeled steps echoed inside a dimly lit control room, its source, a fully activated "womb", and its "baby."

'Besides, the technology presented here was conceived _two hundred years ago_.' Adele smirked to herself, as she scanned the data presented to her by the touchscreen, "Glad to see you're doing fine, boy." She brushed her blond strands aside as she comfortably sat down on a leather swivel chair, placing carefully manicured fingers by her chin, resting her elbow on an armrest.

If Véronique was a no-nonsense person, then Adele was the type who was not easily impressed. She was one of the few who questioned Veda's reliability -- able to adapt to situations was it? Incorruptible? The perfect supercomputer? She slightly shook, holding back a guffaw, just as she did eighteen years ago when Veda was introduced to her. Her blue eyes were aching as tears of hilarity threatened to ruin her blue mascara. Veda's strengths are practically its own weaknesses.

"Just a little more, 002-Y. Just a little more..."

* * *

**Notes:**

In case you're wondering, red light has a certain effect when you close your eyes – it matches the blood flowing under the skin, and sometimes makes one think that your eyes are actually open. I've experienced this first hand, and "sleeping" with a red-hued light is not a good idea.

Yes, Adele is slightly mad and a bit full of herself, while Véronique is disillusioned in her perfectionist ways. What do you expect? They're human.

Sorry for the OC-centric chapters – I promise, the next chapter will have more Tiera, and "002-Y" ;)

Translations :

_Cabernet Sauvignon_ (French) – a popular type of red wine, made with a breed of grapes with the same name.

_Bouquet Garni_ (Fr.; literally: "Garnished Bouquet") – a combination of fresh herbs tied in a string and used to flavor soups, stock and stews. Some prefer to wrap it in thin porous fabric as it would behave like a tea bag in hot water.

_Coq au Vin_ (Fr.; lit.: "Rooster in Wine") – of course, we're talking about a chicken here, as roosters aren't eaten XD. This is chicken cooked in red wine, preferably Bordelais or Burgundy.

_Nul_ (German) : zero

_Nichts _(Ger.) : nothing

_Nein _(Ger.) : no

"_La ferme, et remplie-moi ça_." (Fr.) : "Shut up, and fill it up."

"_Ich verstehe dein betrunkenes Franzöesisch nicht..._" (Ger.) : "I don't understand your drunken French..." P

See you next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3: Tieria Erde

**Celestial Beings – Origins  
****Book One : Tieria Erde**

_**A Mobile Suit Gundam 00 fanfiction by: Cielo, 2008**_

Author's Notes : Update again! (Sept 12, 2008) I forgot to mention that I borrow heavily from Episode 17's "80 years ago" flashback, and Episode 22 wherein Tieria had this catatonic moment when Veda was disconnected from the Gundams.

Disclaimer : _Mobile Suit Gundam 00/Kidou Senshi Gundam 00_ characters, names and related indicia © Sunrise, Bandai; fiction and its contents © Cielo Maaliw, 2008.

* * *

Celestial Beings – Origins _is a personal take on the past of some of the members of Celestial Being, an attempt at an illustration on how our beloved Meisters and their support crew act the way they do, do the things they do, and feel they way the do._

_Chapter three elaborates on the "physical" Tieria Erde._

**  
CHAPTER 3  
**"**Tieria Erde"**

"_Madame_," Jameson welcomed Véronique as she entered the room for "Project Specimen 001-Y". She just came back from "Project Specimen 001-X", supervised by Adele, "today's the day."

"It is indeed," Véronique felt a huge weight release from her chest, as she looked at the counter on the control board's touchscreen -- it had been programmed to disallow any further activity as the project neared its completion. It read, "00 00 00 00:22:20" with the respective indicators underneath the two-digit numbers, "Year, Months, Days, Hours, Minutes, Seconds."

Adele finally entered, joining the gathering of her long-time colleague and the six shifting lab technicians. Two days ago, 001-Y had gone through his forty-eight-hour waking state. This day was different: the room still glowed red, but less dancing lights inside, though still moving as fast. Véronique looked her age -- forty-six years old -- with the crow feet by the corners of her eyes and smile wrinkles by her lips. But her eyes lit up as they did when they started the project.

"_Mesdames et messieurs_," she started, as the clock carried on with its countdown, "first of all, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. My right-hand woman, Adele, who stuck with me through thick and thin," she motioned to her blond colleague who acquiesced the mention with a light nod of her head, "Jameson, Duke, Saitou, Honsou, Lee and Velasco; my dear subordinates, my precious colleagues," she addressed to her team of lab technicians, "this project couldn't have seen the light of day, and we wouldn't be standing here today if it weren't for all the hard work we have put on this."

"We have done our work for Aeolia Schenberg, for Veda and for Celestial Being. For twenty years we stuck together to bring this part of the plan to light," Véronique paused, realizing how much of her life had gone into this project. She smiled, "and here we are -- after this day, some of us will take our early retirement and go back to Earth, and some, just like myself perhaps, will stay here and pursue Celestial Being's dream. Whatever path we take, you all have my most profound gratitude."

The ones present gave themselves a small round of applause, some have tears in their eyes, but all had wide smiles on their faces. Once the applause had died down, they turned to face the glass, as the final stage of the Specimen 001-Y took place: they day of his release, his "birth."

As the counter hit all zeros, a flat feminine voice prompt was heard.

_- Release of Specimen 001-Y, start. -_

All the wires, cables and tubes attached to the young man's body were carefully removed.

_- Life support, disconnected. Extraction of internal amniotic fluid. -_

A small compartment beside 001-Y opened and out came a tube with a face mask was placed over his nose and mouth, keeping a bit of the pink liquid intact.

_- Draining of external amniotic fluid. -_

The pink fluid surrounding the young man slowly went down until it was finally empty. The face mask discreetly suctioned the fluid from his mouth and lungs at the same time. Smaller suction cups covered his ears to make sure no fluids in them remained, his long violet strands clung to his slick skin

_- Introduction of Oxygen, initiated. -_

The sudden intake of air in his lungs must have been a shock as his eyes shot open, his mouth in a scream that nobody could hear. Véronique had a hand to her mouth, controlling her breathing -- she wanted to be there to hold him, to help him ease his pain, '_Tiens bon, mon enfant... courage..._' she silently prayed in her mind, hoping her encouragements would reach his ears.

_- Normalizing oxygen levels. -_

His hands and arms shook as he slowly found the capacity of his senses. The capsule slowly opened, as he was released of his facial mask. His mouth still agape, catching his breath. The staff were amazed as they could make out that his eyes, instead of the expected burgundy, were glowing of a gold color. Véronique recalled in the plan that Veda would be "instructing" him on what to do, just like a person would control a video game character -- the only difference here is that Veda is the player, and 001-Y was the avatar; an avatar instructed how to breathe, how to move – practically how to live.

_- Activating audio signals. -_

The speakers opened and the project team could hear 001-Y breathing normally. The "womb" kept up with its constant contact with its "child" as it bade him to use his arms to lift himself off the chrome slab. He gently turned to a sitting position, his wet violet locks clinging to his turned down face. The flashing lights in the red chamber gradually decreased in number, just as the glow in 001-Y's eyes decreased, inching closer to the shade of burgundy.

_- Normalizing chamber temperature. -_

Supporting himself with his arms on the slab he was sitting on, his lips moved. At first, nobody could figure what he was whispering, but 001-Y was simply repeating a name:

"Veda... Veda... Veda..."

Véronique quickly went through the sanitizing process in her white suit. With her, she carried a white robe. She slowly entered the chamber, the red light gradually giving way to the white overhead spotlights.

_- Release of Specimen 001-Y, end. -_

001-Y's head cocked upwards at the sound -- but his eyes beheld a knowing suspicion, not of curiosity nor loss. He then settled his gaze on the person who entered his chamber, nonplussed at his state of undress.

"Véronique Thierry."

The French woman paused in her tracks as she was taken aback at the way her name was pronounced. He had an almost deep, but silky baritone. He said her name without question, without doubt, as if it was the only universal truth and that nothing could deter him from that truth. The burgundy eyes that matched her own held her in place.

"I am Tieria Erde."

"T-Tieria Erde..." Véronique smiled, 'So _he_ is Tieria Erde...' she mused, "It's good to finally meet you."

He looked her up and down, "Veda said it was ok for you not to be in that suit."

"I see. But let's get you into this robe first, ok?"

On the other side of the glass, Adele and their colleagues watched intently, and listened to the exchange going on between Véronique and Tieria. She smirked -- for a no-nonsense woman, _Madame_ Thierry loses all the cold and strict demeanor when around someone whom she looks at as a child -- _her_ child.

Véronique took off her headgear and gloves and shook hands with Tieria. Looking at them clearer, it was amazing how the two looked alike -- practically mother and daughter -- rather, mother and _son_. She ushered him out, "We'll be meeting my colleagues now." "Right."

Both walked out into the control room where they were welcomed with cheers and loud applause, and greetings of, "Welcome, Tieria!" The young man kept his nonplussed demeanor and merely nodded in response.

--

Amidst the ruckus as Véronique and Jameson assisted Tieria in cleaning up, and lead him to a welcome party in the recreation hall, Adele slipped into her wing to join her "Project Specimen 002-Y". Making sure that the doors were locked and sealed, she gave in to mad, pealing laughter.

"_Hast du sehen, dass_? _Hast du sehen, DASS_??" She adressed to 002-Y, "Oh my God, she treats him as if he were her _son_!" She leaned onto her chair, shaking in the hilarity of what she witnessed, "Véro is my best friend in the facility, but the woman's... not fine right here," Adele tapped at her temple with her forefinger. She took a deep breath, and slumped onto her leather swivel chair.

"And this Tieria is acting all high and mighty, thinking that he's better than everybody else -- he's quite like the one he was cloned from when she was his age," Adele snorted in not-so-fond memory, "but you see, you and him, and 001-X are all the same," she raised an elegant eyebrow, "you're not human. You're not like human babies who can actually understand what's going on around them when their growing inside their mothers. You just take what Veda prepares for you and you wake up, ready for action."

002-Y stayed still. His flowing light-colored hair stirring in the amniotic fluid, the "womb" flashing the bits and pieces of information.

"Tieria and 001-X are created and programmed like robots, walking, talking and breathing all for the sake of Aeolia Schenberg's 'plan'. But not you, boy. Not you."

Adele peered into the touchscreen, pressed a few commands revealing dancing lines as the whir in the red chamber went up a notch, the red background practically unnoticeable, lights zipping, so much that all were a blur.

"You are unlike this Tieria Erde, who knows nothing beyond what he can do with Veda. You, boy, will be a prime mover in this world, a deity," she raised her head with an air of triumph, the lights dancing against her blue eyes, "an Innovator."

* * *

**Notes:**

- Ok, I'll stop with the German now (I'm more of a French and Spanish speaker, to be honest... ;)  
- Translations:  
"_Tiens bon, mon enfant..._" (Fr.): lit., "Hold on my child..."  
" _Hast du sehen, dass_?" (Ger.): lit,. "Did you see that?"  
- And now we have Tieria, and our beloved Innovator. ;)  
- Comments, suggestions, reactions, whatnot are all very welcome.  
- See you next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4: Véronique

**Celestial Beings – Origins****  
Book One : Tieria Erde**

_**A Mobile Suit Gundam 00 fanfiction by: Cielo, 2008**_

Author's Notes : Thank you very much to Mangaka-chan for her very insightful reviews. Through this chapter, we are now getting a clearer picture on Tieria's character, and, though he is Véronique's "clone" makes him very different from her.

Disclaimer : _Mobile Suit Gundam 00/Kidou Senshi Gundam 00_ characters, names and related indicia © Sunrise, Bandai; fiction and its contents © Cielo Maaliw, 2008.

* * *

Celestial Beings – Origins_is a personal take on the past of some of the members of Celestial Being, an attempt at an illustration on how our beloved Meisters and their support crew act the way they do, do the things they do, and feel they way the do._

_Chapter four develops Tieria's "young" character through Véronique, and Veda._

**  
CHAPTER 4**  
"**Véronique"  
**

_Tieria Erde's quarters_

"I'm so sorry we couldn't find men's clothes that fit your size..."

Tieria ran his fingers along the hem of the pink cashmere cardigan, a shadow of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "No matter. Thank you, Véronique."

The clothes were borrowed from one of the laboratory's younger female members. Though there were men sharing Tieria's height, his lithe frame made the men's garments hang unbecomingly on him. Good thing the young lady they borrowed the clothes from had some loose, comfortable clothing. Under his cardigan was a very light pear-hued button down, long-sleeved shirt, tucked in a pair of pencil-cut gray pants. At least they found a proper pair of men's shoes.

"If you wish, I can take you with me to my next trip on Earth -- I can help you look for proper clothes."

Tieria's face looked back at him as he looked into Véronique's burgundy pools. He reached for her hand -- they had the same shape of hands -- long palms, long and slender fingers. The older woman's hands, however, showed signs of aging, while his were still smooth -- so pale that they were almost possessed a De La Tour transparency.

"I suppose you already know through Veda that you are my clone."

Both had their hair tied back in ponytails against their napes. Tieria's smooth locks fell straight down to his waist, "Yes, I know."

Véronique smiled -- she was still shaken by this very feminine face possessing an unmistakable masculine voice, "I think we should get you a hair cut as well."

"I'm fine. Please don't worry about me."

"Alright. I supposed you already know what to do?"

"I need to see Veda."

The older woman nodded and they headed out. "I'll see you later at dinner time?" She was answered by a nod as they parted ways.

--

Véronique went back to her chambers and let herself fall back onto her bed, 'Twenty years...' she closed her eyes, a hand to her forehead.

Celestial Being made sure that its members had no familial ties and responsibilities -- almost all of her colleagues were orphans. Some of them runaways. And some like her were forcedly alienated from her parents.

She had spent a childhood living only with her nanny in her parents' Parisian duplex. She was told that they worked in space and could only come back from time to time. But even if they did, work -- or whatever other reason -- came in the way. Her nanny was her only pillar of support.

Dr. Thierry looked back at the walks they would take together around the park. Sitting down on a bench, she envied the other children who were with their siblings and friends. This envy extended to young couples, whom she had seen evolve into young parents. Life on Earth for her became merely a spectator's sport.

Back in the lab, she focused all of her time and energy on the sole task she was given -- the creation and birth of Tieria Erde. The plan was carefully laid out by Veda -- from the extraction of her DNA, to the development of the human cells... the first few years required her being fully hands-on as she nursed the growing fetus, as it changed capsules, adjusting it to the evolving life-support mechanism.

She has seen Specimen 001-Y flourish right before her very eyes. A normal baby grew for nine months in his mother's womb and was eventually born after that lapse of time. 001-Y -- Tieria -- grew for twenty years. She was hard on her subordinates. She practically knew this complex plan of Veda off by heart and the slightest signal of deviation had gotten her on edge. Adele joked once, "Do you know that each time you burst like that, one of your hair strands turn white?" It must have been true.

Countless times she had questioned her sense of being, 'Of course,' she snickered, 'I am a celestial being. A part of it.' She never knew what became of her parents. They would have passed away by this time. She sometimes wondered if Celestial Being just left her alone, chose any other scientist besides her... or they just did not want to let some good genes go to waste.

Nevertheless, she decided that Tieria Erde is her reason to be. Adele had chided about her regards to her project, but she would have none of it.

Besides, Celestial Being had everything planned for her. She might as well give it her all.

--

Tieria was back in the chamber he was born in. It was now his -- no need for staff or any kind of assistance. No need for suits or any laser sanitation procedures. He can literally waltz in and out as he pleased -- but of course, he knew, and all those involved in the project knew, that Veda always has something for him.

Now that he was actively participating in the exchange with Veda, the room assumed a state of reduced gravity and he floated in the midst of the spherical room, as it glowed red and fired up its usual light display, and Tieria's eyes would assume their golden hue.

It was in this state that the young man felt most secure. His thoughts needed not to wander about the admiring looks he got from the younger lab staff -- male and female alike -- or the surprised expressions he would get from the seasoned scientists, who couldn't help but mention his carbon-copy resemblance to Véronique.

There was no need for words, no need for sounds nor taste, not even a need for illustrations. This exchange of information which has been taking place since his conception was a private language, a sacred bond between the Creator and the Created -- incorruptible, unbreakable.

--

_Project Specimen 002-Y chamber_

Only the higher than normal whir of the womb could be heard, but unbeknownst to any of the staff on board the Orbital Laboratory, the touchscreen of the control room displayed a countdown, running at twice the normal speed.

* * *

**Notes:**

I can't, for the life of me, really explain why my narrative, though aiming to paint a portrait of Tieria, is far from being Tieria-centric. It is actually hard for me to write Tieria pre-2307: you have him untainted, perfect, unfeeling to all of the things going around him. I guess my fic, though laying out Tieria's origins, lays out how I see the way Celestial Being operates, how it treats its members, and how it controls its delicate information assets.

Georges **de la Tour** – I was referring to his 1642 painting, "St. Joseph" (Wikipedia is your friend,) where the child Jesus was holding the candle for His father. My former Art Appreciation professor gushed over the details of the Child's face and hands, so near the candle, so illuminated, that the skin of the hands possessed, "a transparent quality."

Again, comments, suggestions, reactions and whatnot are most welcome.

See you next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5: Haro

**Celestial Beings – Origins****  
Book One : Tieria Erde**

_**A Mobile Suit Gundam 00 fanfiction by: Cielo, 2008  
**_

Author's Notes : The "80 years ago" flashback would not be complete without the purple Haro. And yes -- two chapters for the weekend. Enjoy the read!

Disclaimer : _Mobile Suit Gundam 00/Kidou Senshi Gundam 00_ characters, names and related indicia © Sunrise, Bandai; fiction and its contents © Cielo Maaliw, 2008.

* * *

Celestial Beings – Origins _is a personal take on the past of some of the members of Celestial Being, an attempt at an illustration on how our beloved Meisters and their support crew act the way they do, do the things they do, and feel they way the do._

**  
CHAPTER 5**  
"**Haro"**

Though the Celestial Being Orbital Laboratory was constructed for research and development purposes, it still needed its security, maintenance and piloting. The lab had the shape of a badminton shuttlecock, and at the apex of the "ball" was the Navigational Control Room. This was constantly manned as to monitor material activity within the laboratory -- oxygen levels, water production, gravity control, temperature controls, and most of all, energy. A team of pilots were trained to man the space station as to maintain the ideal distance from Jupiter's titanic gravitational pull. In the occasion of a comet or an asteroid passing by, a ballistics team may be mobilized to destroy the harmful spatial objects, or the pilots may move the laboratory away from danger.

"_Minna daijoubu? Minna daijoubu?_"

One of the engineers was having his lunch in the cafeteria, accompanied by a purple spherical object, floating beside him, circular flaps fluttering on either side, two lights blinking on its "face."

"Shh... quiet down, Haro, you're disturbing people."

The purple sphere settled down on the table in front of the engineer and settled on swaying side to side.

Tieria happened to pass by and the sphere caught his attention, "Is that a Haro robot?"

"Yes it is!" The engineer nodded vigorously, almost choking on his food. The nameplate on his coat read, 'B. Fujiwara', "It's a prototype for now."

"There are plans to make more of these." Tieria stated.

"You're right. We finished developing this one about a month ago, and gradually upgraded it. The foundation laid out by Veda is quite amazing."

"Indeed," the mention of Veda sparked Tieria's interest, "may I join you?"

"_Hai._" Fujiwara motioned the young man to sit. As Tieria did so, the Haro turned to him, "_Anata namae? Anata namae?_"

"Tieria Erde."

"Tieria, _yoroshiku_! Tieria, _yoroshiku_!"

Tieria turned to the engineer, "You're able to give him speech recognition abilities."

"Ah, yes. I've tried to get to say more complex sentences, but for now, it can only say short remarks..." Fujiwara scratched the back of his head.

"... and repeat them?"

"_Eto_... that's a bug. Then again, I'm starting to think the foundation plans really intended to have the Haro robot say things twice -- or simply reiterate what it said, like, instead of saying 'On time! On time!', it would say, 'On time! On schedule!'"

The plum-haired man picked up Haro and intently looked at it. It's beady red "eyes" blinked, and seemed to stir something in Tieria's mind. He frowned, "is this connected to Veda?"

"Veda _ha boku no haha_! Veda _ha boku no haha_!"

Tieria squinted his eyes, and dropped the Haro onto the table, making their lunch trays clatter. Fujiwara shook his head, "Not really. But it has been made to record -- to absorb -- everything it encounters," Haro turned back to the engineer, and batted its flaps for good measure, "and anyone who knows how to operate this can retrieve whatever is in its memory."

"Fujiwara _daisuki_! Fujiwara _daisuki_!"

Tieria finished his lunch and got up, leaving the engineer with the purple talking ball. He was annoyed enough that the object had limited, redundant vocabulary, but it tried to connect with him!

--

"Alright, Tieria. Can you hear me?"

Véronique was asked by her "clone" to accompany him in his connecting with Veda. His lips did not move, but the speakers carried his voice.

- _Yes, I can hear you. _-

Tieria had told the older woman about his encounter with Haro. No one, or _nothing_ should be able to get into his head without his permission, specially if it was not Veda.

- _I just wanted to know, Véronique_ - he started - _was I created according to the plan?_ -

Dr. Thierry was taken aback, "Wh- _comment_?!"

- _Answer me!_ -

"But of course! I spent twenty years --"

- _I don't care how much time you've spent on this project._ -

"I made sure I followed Veda's plan, _à la lettre_," there was one thing Véronique hated the most was when her devotion was questioned, and Tieria's harsh tone struck a chord in her. Yet, she smiled -- she saw herself once again, wildly reacting, looking for the quickest damage control, when something went wrong.

- _I'm asking Veda to help me block communication signals from those robot balls..._ -

Véronique smiled, "Oh..." she nodded in understanding. This young man sure has an odd sense of humor.

--

"Sorry for making you work overtime, boy."

Adele smiled at the Specimen she was working on bitterly, 'I'm the one working overtime here. Supervising 001-X and one-woman army for 002-Y...'

The above-than-normal whir of the Womb was getting to the blond's tired head. Tieria Erde took twenty years to be considered, "complete." Her project will only take half the time. As long as the steps in the plan were followed, and programmed to work at twice the speed, these Innovators would turn out fine. In fact, 002-Y's Earth age was just around ten years old, but he already looks as old as Tieria...

... And just as beautiful.

His light colored hair flowed beneath him, giving the illusion to Adele's tired eyes that he had wings -- like a delicate butterfly, a fairy...

... an angel.

"Only a week more, boy."

Adele gave in to a yawn and stretched her arms outwards. Locking the control room, she went back to her room for some rest. Invisible to her naked human eyes, a redundant statement and thread was gradually fed into 002-Y...

_G.N. Drives_

_Solar Furnace_

* * *

**Notes:**

Hehe. A friend of mine wanted to read this fic until he realized halfway through that he needed to watch the episodes first. Hehe.

... And yes, I just had to throw in a Haro episode. I just had to retain Haro's simple Japanese lines – I just can't imagine it speaking any other language. For the record (along with other translations) :

_- Minna daijoubu?_ : "Everybody alright?" (annoying as Haro may become, I can't help but making this one very social and affectionate.)

_- Anata namae?_ : "Your name?" (I'm having a hard time giving Haro full-blown sentences to say. I had to break down phrases to their shortest forms possible.)

_- ... yoroshiku!_ : Shortcut for "nice to meet you!"

- Veda _ha boku no haha_ : "Veda's my mother!" (XD)

_- daisuki_ : roughly, "I like you!" or "I love you!"

_- Comment?_ (Fr.) : In this context, "What??" (as in, "I beg your pardon?!")

_- À la lettre_ (Fr.) : lit., "to the letter"

I wanted to elaborate more on the development of the G.N. Drives (ep. 18 or 19, where Professor Eiffman was close to discovering the secret of the Drives, and touched upon the Jupiter incident), but despite my 3rd (ongoing) marathon of "Gundam 00", I still can't form a concrete image of this device in my mind – I'm sure Bandai does, but I still can't grasp it so as I can create a convincing enough narrative.

Cameo! "B. Fujiwara" is actually **Bunta Fujiwara**, father of Takumi Fujiwara of Initial D fame. Sergei Smirnoff shares the same seiyuu as Bunta. Love the character so much.


	6. Chapter 6: Specimen 002Y

**Celestial Beings – Origins  
****Book One : Tieria Erde**

_**A Mobile Suit Gundam 00 fanfiction by: Cielo, 2008**_

Author's Notes : I just realized that I have copy-pasted the "Chapter one..." blather on all of my chapters. Just had to edit or remove them.

Disclaimer : _Mobile Suit Gundam 00/Kidou Senshi Gundam 00_ characters, names and related indicia © Sunrise, Bandai; fiction and its contents © Cielo Maaliw, 2008.

* * *

Celestial Beings – Origins_is a personal take on the past of some of the members of Celestial Being, an attempt at an illustration on how our beloved Meisters and their support crew act the way they do, do the things they do, and feel they way the do._

_Chapter six shows us the turning point, and what really went wrong..._

**  
CHAPTER 6  
**"**Specimen 002-Y"**

"How is 001-X coming along?"

Véronique and Adele sat at a small round table in the laboratory's cafeteria with Tieria. They were served with Asian cuisine -- beef curry over steaming jasmine rice, which had been cooked with green raisins. The strong spice coupled well with the little bouts of sweetness. The French woman had a slight pout on her face as curry did not go with any of her wines.

"She also looks like you," Adele took a sip of her chamomile tea, "why do they have to use your DNA twice anyway?"

She had been answered by two voices, "Because it's Veda's plan."

Bemused blue eyes darted to and fro between the identical faces looking up at her: expressions strict, eyes devoid of any humor. Adele held up her hands in mock surrender, "Ok! Ok... It's all part of the plan..."

A sudden rumbling sound was heard, as the regular lights gave way to emergency flood lights. This caused a stir in the cafeteria, "Was that a meteor?", "Debris?", "How can 'debris' get to Jupiter?!"

Another rumbling sound broke, but this time, it was strong enough to shake the space station, and triggered a loud alarm.

- _All personnel are to wear their emergency space suits and stand by the evacuation docks._ -

"Tieria!" Véronique grabbed his arm as the cafeteria personnel gave out emergency space suits assigned in their area. Lab coats were discarded as the scientists got into their suits. "Adele!" The older woman's senses went into overdrive as she suddenly could not find her friend. She caught sight of Jameson who still had to wear his head gear, "Jameson!"

"_Madame_!" People were jolted by a third explosive sound, and the space station suddenly found itself in a state of zero gravity. The pilots should be skilled enough to drive them away from their current orbit, but it was only a matter of time until the laboratory succumbs Jupiter's pull. "Take care of 001-X, you know what to do." "Yes, _madame_." Jameson skillfully drifted away.

It was a good thing that the hand conveyors along the walls were still working, "Tieria, come with me." The conveyors were of great help as they went counter to the flow to the evacuating crowd. Tieria heard the older woman muttering in her breath, "Adele, where are you..."

--

Adele rushed and stumbled to get to her wing. She had managed to grab and equip an emergency space suit along the way. Much to her surprise, The Celestial Being Orbital Laboratory emergency response mechanism was triggered: it was sealed off all doors, passwords and codes overridden. She accessed a nearby terminal as to determine the status of the laboratory.

"Oh God..." to her horror, the brunt of the damage came from Project Specimen 002-Y's control room. Her nimble fingers and technical mind kicking into overdrive, muttering commands and codes as she went on, she accessed the security camera network, and gained visuals to her project's room. From the weakened feed, she could make out that the Womb was still intact and running.

- _Looking for me?_ -

A voice came through the audio feed in her emergency suit. This was not the ship's overhead feminine voice prompt. This voice was of a distinct silky baritone, albeit a bit nasal as compared to Tieria's.

- _Care to come in? I've been waiting for you, Adele Raymund._ -

The blond woman's fingers froze over the panel she was working on.

- _Please join me. Don't worry, your suit will protect you._ -

Amidst the chaos she can hear around her -- panicked voices, alarm blaring, crumbling sounds signaling the end of the orbital laboratory -- his voice was to her, a calm pool of spring water in the middle of a forest. Enticing, enthralling and very inviting. She was startled as she heard the beep signaling that the sealed door to the wing was to be opened. The door's mechanism groaning, Adele bade herself to drift into a dark corridor, and finally get to Specimen 002-Y's control room.

Inside, she saw that the control panels had exploded from the inside, as if a bomb had been planted in there in the first place. There must have been a fire in the room as the room's fire extinguishers covered the exposed electronics with white foam. Looking upwards, the explosion force must have been such that the inner layers of the laboratory had been compromised, rendering the place very vulnerable to space debris.

- _It's nice to see you,_ fraulein. -

His voice bade her to look through the bulletproof glass. The Womb was manufactured to withstand very high levels of damage. The glass on her side was severely scratched_ – __scratched_, but not cracked, still rendering the Womb intact and impenetrable despite the explosion's extent to break through layers of metal and alloy. But everything in the room decreased in significance, as she looked in the red-hued chamber -- now with a more controlled light activity: floating inside was an angel.

"002-Y..."

- _Correction,_ fraulein. - He lifted his bowed head and focused his gleaming golden eyes in her direction – a look so certain, she forgot that the glasshe was looking through was actually one-way. - _I am Livonze Almark. Innovator._ -

"Livonze... but this is --" Adele's head was spinning, thinking of what may have gone wrong in her otherwise perfect calculations

- _Too early?_ - Livonze's facial expression changed to mock surprise, his lips unmoving, - _You're right. I was not due for another four days_. - Devoid of the amniotic liquid, his hair revealed to have shade of green. - _As a matter of fact, according to Veda, I was not even due for another eighty years. So yes, I am quite early._ -

Adele's thoughts were caught between saving herself and leaving Livonze behind, or trying to find a way to get him out without the others noticing. A very cold chill ran down her spine at what Livonze said next, as if he were reading her mind.

- _There's nothing much you can do, really. The control room's destroyed. In fact, I pretty much control the rest of the ship from where I am._ - An arrogant smile spread along his lips. - _Your life is in my hands now. Not in Celestial Being's. Not in Veda's. But in mine. _-

'What have I done?' She thought. Her arrogance wanted was to prove Veda wrong -- that lives need not to be wasted manufacturing Specimens, that something superior can be created in a shorter span of time...

- _Don't you fret too much about it, _fraulein. - Golden orbs scrutinized stirred pools of blue. - _Celestial Being members are expendable. It doesn't matter who lives or dies. As long as the Plan is seen through, your life is worth nothing. _-

"No... NO!" Adele frantically scanned the room for any functional equipment, to find a way to undo her mistake. Another explosion rocked the laboratory as it was slowly falling apart, and succumbing to the pressure exerted by external forces.

- _You fooled with the plan, what do you expect? You grownups really are stupid...- _He chuckles, -_ You make things, then you break them..._ - Adele hears him let out a mock sigh, -_ You never can decide for yourselves... -_

"I can still fix this, Livonze. I'll show you..." Adrenaline kicking in, Adele rushed out of the room and tried to find her way to the Navigational Control Room.

- _What are you doing, Adele?_ - Livonze's sing-song taunt echoed in the woman's audio feed. - _You made me this way, remember? You can't stop me._ -

Adele pushed aside personnel who tried to usher her to get into the emergency pods.

- _This ship is mine; and the plan will move according to my will. _-

"I won't let you." Adele hissed. 'Véronique, I am so sorry...'

* * *

**Notes:**

- "To err is human..." as part of an old saying goes. I aimed to highlight the fact that Livonze/Ribbons is THE mastermind and puppet master, as Season One suggests, all because of a human grownup's error in judgment.

- Translation: "_Fraulein_" (German) "Miss"


	7. Chapter 7: Ptolemaios

**Celestial Beings – Origins  
****Book One : Tieria Erde**

_**A Mobile Suit Gundam 00 fanfiction by: Cielo, 2008**_

Author's Notes : (September 22, 2008) Update time! I had a very busy week-ender last week, which explains my lack of update over the weekend. But here we are!

We have here a cameo of the G.N. Drives' stored power at work. Professor Eiffman's last lines before he died can have us speculate that the accident _may be_ caused by the fact that the G.N. Drives were created in that space station. I don't want to think that it may be the _only_ cause of the accident. Besides, if they were, then we wouldn't have Gundams, G.N. Arms and Ptolemaios in the first place.

I wanted to portray that the Innovator created with a certain person's DNA would inherit their a significant part of their character. They would also gain a particular personality depending on how they were looked after – Véronique who was more "hands on" with Tieria, compared to Adele who left Livonze to her programming and calculations.

PS. Has anyone seen the latest Season Two character sheet published in Newtype? Very curious indeed...

Disclaimer : _Mobile Suit Gundam 00/Kidou Senshi Gundam 00_ characters, names and related indicia © Sunrise, Bandai; fiction and its contents © Cielo Maaliw, 2008.

* * *

Celestial Beings – Origins _is a personal take on the past of some of the members of Celestial Being, an attempt at an illustration on how our beloved Meisters and their support crew act the way they do, do the things they do, and feel they way the do._

_A bit of action here and there, and how Tieria, Livonze and 001-X survive._

**  
CHAPTER 7  
**"**Ptolemaios"**

- _You should evacuate with the others, Véronique._ -

Tieria and Dr. Thierry went back to 001-Y's control room and womb. She had asked Tieria to locate a particular ship, which would be the next step in his mission, 'A step too early, though...' Véronique sighed. Her eyes scanned the touch screen and other prompts along the control board, as the known "world" to Celestial Being was rapidly combed through. She knew that at some point, Tieria should dock with one of Celestial Being's ships, the Ptolemaios, which would help him get to Earth and get started with his mission.

However, the exact time and place had not been revealed to her.

- _What will happen to you?_ -

Tieria's question startled her for a moment, "I don't know, Tieria. This happening is not part of the plan."

- _Why can't I evacuate with you?_ -

Véronique did not want to answer him, "Have you found what I asked you to look for?"

- _Yes. It's a ways off here, but it's at Lagrange One. It's signal's quite weak, but Veda's connected to it. There are people inside._ -

"Very good," Véronique rapidly typed a few more things, "if you could kindly transmit this message to them..." Her voice was shaking. She tried not to notice that Tieria's calm floating in the Womb suddenly become tense as he turned her way -- his face upset.

- _What are you doing?!_ -

His question was left unanswered, as he was distracted by a video feed popping up in the in the Womb: an orb-like piece had been detached from the ship. It was not drifting like debris. It was surrounded by green glittery light and was purposely moving inwards the solar system. Zooming in on that part of the Orbital Laboratory, his breath was caught upon recognizing a control room much like his -- and Jameson's unmoving form floating with broken pieces of machinery.

"You, Tieria, have a mission to fulfill. Veda will have to make adjustments..." Véronique did not look at him anymore, her voice fading away. After tapping a few more commands, she pressed one last button, and several things started happening: the door behind her sealed off -- nobody could enter, and nobody could exit from the control room. A large metallic panel started sliding from left to right, protecting the glass from the outside -- this did not go very smoothly, however, as it scraped against the control panels, chipping off bits of it and cutting wiring – like a blunt knife through layers of wafer.

"You are now in control." Tieria tried to look at this older woman for as long as he could. "I have fed the coordinates of the Ptolemaios to the Womb, just as Jameson fed Earth's coordinates to 001-X's womb."

- _Véronique..._ -

"Don't fret about me. I've done my part for Celestial Being," the metallic panel was past half-way through closing, "unlike us humans who have fickle lives, you will live on, as long as you have Veda."

Tieria's vital signs could no longer be displayed in the control room, so he could no longer ask Véronique what he was experiencing: something was stirring in the pit of his stomach, making it hard to breathe, tension rising to his head. His vision blurred for a moment then he saw liquid drops in front of his eyes. Maybe the humans at the Ptolemaios can tell him...

Green light particles started to spread along the room, as the metal completely sealed off the glass. A loud metallic groan could be heard as the Womb detached itself from the control room, immediately setting it into zero gravity. Véronique found herself coughing up blood at the sudden change, 'So much for doing my part, this is what I get... a slow, painful death...' she mused. She closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.

--

Adele barged into the Navigational Control Room, as a handful of personnel were left to man the stations. At this stage, nothing more could be done for the Orbital Laboratory, after three more explosions were triggered after she had left the newly sealed wing, 'Damn you, Livonze...'

No one noticed her presence as the ones left were preoccupied in releasing the escape pods. Unlike the Wombs, these have no means of navigation -- an initial boost catapults the pods outside of Jupiter's gravitational influence. But the energy used is such that there is none left for active orientation of the pod. The boost was directed at Mars -- it was near enough Earth that signals could still be emitted and rescue would arrive.

- _I don't know what you're trying to pull, _fraulein_,_ - Livonze taunted in her ears, - _but it's not going to work._ -

Adele kept her lips pursed. She is not one to give in to taunts. She had to work quick -- the next step after making sure all the pods were gone, was to destroy all data banks: no one should be able to know about Celestial Being, and it was not a data mishap that would do them in. Fingers flying across keys, she once more accessed the Womb where Livonze was, and did the only thing she could do from there...

- _H-hey! What the hell are you doing?!_ - Livonze's calm voice took on a frantic pitch, as he felt the Womb shake, and the data interacting with Veda decreased. Adele smiled, seeing status updates on her screen, "I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do in the case of an emergency, Livonze," in the background, a technician already "killed" two data terminals, "you can ask Veda about it. _Auf Nimmerwiedersehen._"

Adele proceeded in aiding the technicians in "killing" the rest of the terminals. She had set Livonze's Womb to merely drift off into space. Should it orbit the Sun, should it cross paths with any moon or another planet in the solar system, she did not know. It may not be the best solution to stop him from derailing Celestial Being's plan, but it should give their successors enough time to think of a more concrete answer.

--

A few moments later, had anyone been watching the skies from Earth with a powerful enough telescope, he or she would have seen a unique, once-in-a-lifetime spark right by Jupiter's Great Red Spot.

Then again, humans were too intent on finishing their Orbital Elevators and fighting over them, that nobody really noticed. No date nor headline about anything beyond these elevators made the 2227 A.D. Newspapers. No memorial was held, not even a minute of silence was dedicated for Earth's few lost children.

The World moves on, unaware of the one small spark that will change the course of their lives forever.

* * *

**Notes:**

Translation: "_Auf Nimmerwiedersehen." _(German) this version of "goodbye" is roughly the equivalent of "farewell" or "adieu", where you will never see each other EVER again.

I understand the flaw in my last few paragraphs: For those who have watched Episode 17 onwards, there was a crew who spent "6 years" in looking for the destroyed Jupiter laboratory – or anything connected to Celestial Being. I would like to assume that indeed, it did not make headlines. This is my speculation on the infamous "Corner family desire", where their money & influence had been used to "erase" this event from general public at the time, and I assume, was much later revealed as a "minor scientific discovery," confined to scientific journals – which would explain why Professor Eiffman knew something about it. If it's not the Corner family, then perhaps a person/group who wanted dirt on Aeolia Schenberg. Nevertheless, that crew seemed to know what they were looking for, and what they wanted to find...

(See the above rambling? Very distracting from the plot, don't you think? I have no intentions on writing about Alejandro Corner, Livonze, Eiffman... I'll leave that to their fans. XD Challenge? Why not?)

... And since data banks and all connections to Veda were destroyed along with the station, the Ptolemaios crew had no way to know if anything else happened to the ship after the accident (I don't even think they knew about it, save for Tieria.) So my assumed treachery of Livonze and Purple Haro's discovery was definitely not within the plan known to the Ptolemaios group.

... I'll stop my rambling now. Feedback is very much appreciated. ;)


	8. Epilogue

**Celestial Beings – Origins  
****Book One : Tieria Erde**

_**A Mobile Suit Gundam 00 fanfiction by: Cielo, 2008**_

Author's Notes : This wraps up my first fanfic in six years. To my readers and reviewer(s), thank you very much for sticking with me through these 8 chapters. A lot of speculation has been done here, and I very much believe that _Gundam 00 – Season Two_ will prove me wrong at many points.

Also, I am very much curious of how other fans take Tieria's past...

Disclaimer : _Mobile Suit Gundam 00/Kidou Senshi Gundam 00_ characters, names and related indicia © Sunrise, Bandai; fiction and its contents © Cielo Maaliw, 2008.

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Celestial Beings – Origins****_is a personal take on the past of some of the members of Celestial Being, an attempt at an illustration on how our beloved Meisters and their support crew act the way they do, do the things they do, and feel they way the do._

**Epilogue**

_Lagrange One, eighteen days later._

"So..." a petite woman with sky blue eyes and long, curly pink hair scrutinized the slender purple-haired young man she summoned in her office, "... you're Tieria Erde."

Tieria had arrived within five days, propelled by the unique power of stored G.N. Particles. His body, however, reacted very much like that of a normal human being – he was close to starvation and very much dehydrated upon arrival. The on-board medic immediately had him treated and was amazed at his fast recovery rate – while a normal human being was required to have intravenous treatment for several days, he was already able to eat, after being confined to the medical capsule for only two days. He was required to have a few more days of rest, before he was allowed to move about.

"Yes. A Gundam Meister of Celestial Being."

"I'm Sarah Grace, Stragetegic Analyst," she held out her hand which the young man received in greeting, "so there has been indeed some changes to the plan."

"Very minor, I assure you," Tieria's hair floated free behind him, as he neared his face to the woman's computer screen. In one look, he made out that one Gundam is already operational and is scheduled for a test flight. One still had to custom fit its G.N. Drive to accommodate eventual armor attachments, but the body is already complete and painted in shades of green. The third one still needed to get its paint done, as fine-tuning was being made for its aerodynamic qualities. The last one looked very delicate and practically skeletal, as its full body armor and artillery were still under construction. Blueprints for a more compact version of the first Gundam, and other improvements to the current lineup were on file.

"You're too close, Tieria."

"I'm not."

"Then you need glasses," Sarah twirled a straw in her hand, "and if you're to be a Meister, your helmet's visor should be customized as well." She gently pushed Tieria away form her computer screen, "then again, you're too early." She scanned her eyes at the visuals presented to her, "According to Veda's modifications, you'll have to be put under the care of Wang Guiren for the time being, as our Veda terminal here that you are supposed to interface with is not yet fully operational."

"Understood."

"I've had your pod disassembled and sent to Wang Guiren, and is currently being reassembled at his manor. That's the closest thing we've got to Veda for now."

Tieria blinked, "Can't I stay here in Lagrange One?"

Sarah shook her head, "According to the plan, you're not supposed be here yet. Besides, you have no Gundam to pilot. If I try to look from here..." Sarah winced realization dawning upon her, "Your training actually takes place _seventy_ years from now..." she blinked, muttering, "S_eventy?!_, Not _seven?_... Maybe _I_ need glasses..." She cleared her throat, turning her swivel chair in Tieria's direction, "I don't know what you're supposed to do in that lapse of time, to be honest – its not within my Veda access level," Sarah chuckled, "Seventy years from now... I'll be dead by then."

"I'm certain Veda's got everything laid out for me, as much as it has all planned out for you."

"True enough," Sarah turned back to her computer with a sigh, "I've arranged for the Wang's private shuttle to escort you to Earth. They should be here within seventeen hours at most."

"Got it." As Tieria took his leave, Sarah's voice had him pause in his tracks.

"It was nice meeting you, Tieria Erde."

She was not looking at him, too focused she was on her work – on what Veda has called upon her to do. But there was a raw honesty in her voice – she was not supposed to meet him, but the circumstances made her cross paths with him... and she was glad she did.

--

Veda is a supercomputer, putting all previous supercomputers to deepest shame. Veda is able to describe human struggle in numerical forms, lay out answers for the "Whats," "whys," "whens," "wheres," "whos," and "hows" in complex – but comprehensible to the knowledgeable – mathematical formulas.

But _never_, despite being created by Aeolia Schenberg and his generations upon generations of teams of genius minds, can it ever fathom the true essence of Humanity, and the Human Experience.

Veda made the human existence for him a spectator's sport. He never realized how much time had passed, only until he had pulled up the archived files of the Jupiter Orbital Laboratory, spotting its date stamp. With slight curiosity, he pulled up an audio feed, two years prior his birth: He could make out Jameson with two other people in the control room, while Véronique was stuck in the Womb, "_Madame_," a woman called Velasco piped up, "I think 001-Y can hear you. What would like to say to him?" He heard a chuckle – hearing her voice sent a knot up his throat, "Well... I'd like to ask him, 'Would you exchange what you are – something designed for a purpose so specific, with nary a ghost of a choice, for something as brief and vague as this human life?'"

Tieria knows the answer of course. Véronique and Veda made sure he did.

In his moments of active consciousness, Tieria Erde tried to understand the question, and choose. In his seven decades of recluse, in the arms of his all-knowledgeable mother, he asked why he smiles, laughs; why he wonders... why he _feels_ and _thinks_ the way he does. He also tried to understand the fine line drawn by Veda between Human and what he is.

But that was not his purpose. That was not what he was _made_ to know, to understand.

Tieria watched the world go by, subconsciously trying to find justification for his answer, or something to contradict it. Amidst a spectrum in shades of gray, Veda showed him this: people live and die. Some find purpose, some grasp their way to make a name for themselves, some get derailed from whatever reason they have bestowed upon themselves, and never find a purpose to live for. After half a century the world remained unchanged. It was an endless cycle of ease and unrest. Humans are never happy with what they possess, and constantly desiring for what they do not possess; may it be money, identity, fame, love, power, spirituality and everything else in between.

They are born, and they die.

...But they _live_. Poetry is written, and songs are sung, ephemeral witnesses to these struggles and victories. Veda cannot explain it and Tieria cannot understand.

Amidst the requisite data fed into him, despite knowing his moves were laid out in front of him, Tieria pondered on a dead person's question. And he would ponder on it some more, for many years to come.

--

_2297 A.D., Wang Residence, location classified._

"Liu Mei-_sama_! Please don't run around so much!" A middle-aged woman ran after a giggling 7 year-old girl, jet black hair tied back in yellow ribbons. She zipped around the large couch overlooking a large glass window, overlooking the house's pool, and further on, the ocean. "You'll be disturbing our guest!"

Liu Mei tripped over her own sandals, but got up right after, quickly dusting her white sundress. She trotted over the quiet figure lying down on a chaise longue, eyes closed, soaking up the sun. She had been told that "he" will be working with her very soon. But to her, for now, he was a vision of perfection in his loose light brown shirt and loose white pants. His cropped violet hair fanned under his head, a pair of glasses in his grasp. If she did not notice him breathing, she could have sworn he was made out of marble -- or wax, due to his lack of physical flaws.

"Guiren-_yeye_ used to sit there..." she whispered. Not wanting to disturb the slumbering figure, she tiptoed away, baby sitter in pursuit. Her seven-year-old attention span did not allow her to consciously remember that sleeping form.

Once alone, the young man opened his burgundy eyes, picked up the nearby remote control and flipped the television on, where a female newscaster announced the day's news:

"... A suicide bombing incident in Ireland happened earlier today at a commercial district in Dublin. Our correspondent, Aida Yayoi, reports. Come in, Aida-san."

A field correspondent with short black hair and striking red lipstick is flanked by a destroyed building, with rescue teams mixed by casualties buzzing behind her, "The explosion occurred inside the twenty-story Darling Plaza, home to exclusive shops and office blocs. The brunt of the attack is such, that the commercial center is torn down to its foundations. According to current eye-witnesses, an initial blast was felt coming from the basement, then eventually traveled along the height of the building. It is suspected that the terrorist organization, KPSA, is behind this attack. So far, there are eighty casualties, twenty of which are dead. The numbers may increase as rescue teams dig through piles of rubble at the site..."

The TV was switched back off, the young man's face nonplussed.

"Just a little more, Veda..." he whispered to himself, "this world will definitely change."

**-- Celestal Beings Origins Book One: Tieria Erde, END --**

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**Notes:**

Translation: "-_yeye_" is a Chinese term of endearment for "grandpa".

Time permitting, I intend to write something on Feldt Grace's parents. For the record, this Sarah Grace is Grace's _grand_mother, on her father's side. ;)

Wang Guiren is Wang Liu Mei's _grand_father (I'd like to assume that the Wang family has had long-term connections with Aeolia Schenberg, which would explain Liu Mei's quips on "sticking to his plan.")

I'm close to being certain that Tieria will find his answers or sense of being come season two, which would explain my open-ended narrative, and my insistence of his being a recluse, just to make my fic work. Besides, he still had questions at the end of season one, so I don't want to deviate from too much from that. I believe that Tieria fans have figured that Tieria does _not_ age. I'd even like to think him immortal – something dancing within the line between "object" (or weapon) and "human". And yes, he's a hundred years old (a hundred and _five_ by season two – why else would Sunrise keep his age a mystery?), but due to his... "situation," he acts either like a prepubescent, emo, whiny, "How could this happen to meeee?" kid; or a jaded old geezer who just went through his second childhood. P

Cameo! **Aida Yayoi**, a supporting character in Takehiko Inoue's Slam Dunk. She's such an under appreciated character, and love her. I'm not experienced in writing news bits, so please forgive me for any style mishaps.

Cameo! The Darling Plaza – if the name is any indication, I'm a fan of the show, Dirty Sexy Money. P

I also plan to write about Lockon Stratos. We do have 10 years to ponder on his "hatred" of terrorism.

And that's a wrap! (o) Feedback in any form is very much appreciated. See you next fanfic (which, hopefully, wouldn't be too long in coming.)


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